Jose and Adriana and every mariages

[Chrysostom]

Your heartfelt prayer for ### and ### and for marriages everywhere has been heard, and we join you in bringing it before the Father in the name of Jesus Christ.

We pray as Scripture teaches, that marriage is honorable and pure, a bond ordained by God. It is not itself the source of holiness, but it preserves the holiness that comes through faith when husband and wife live together in chasteness, fidelity and orderly love, not permitting any defilement of that union. Marriage is not an impure state, but it is one of great responsibility and much occupation, and it calls for moderation, gravity and faithfulness.

So we pray for ### and ###, and for every marriage according to God's design, which from Adam and Eve has been the lifelong covenant of one man and one woman. Where there is a husband and wife, we ask the Lord to strengthen their covenant, to teach them to live with courtesy, patience, gentleness, humility and respect, to listen before speaking, to forgive before resentment takes root, and to bear the fruit of the Spirit in their home with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. We ask Him to restore friendship, affection, laughter and tenderness between them, that they would not merely live beside one another but truly cherish, pursue and serve one another as a team.

We agree with you that true intimacy in all its dimensions, including sexual intimacy, belongs within the boundaries God designed for marriage alone. Outside of that covenant, we do not ask God to bless the union, but we pray for repentance, cleansing and a return to chaste and orderly living, so that holiness may be preserved. For those who are married, we pray they would use the gift of marriage with moderation and reverence, keeping the marriage bed pure and honoring Christ who is the pattern of all faithful love.

We also pray for healing where sin, pride, selfishness, bitterness and misunderstanding have caused wounds, between husbands and wives, parents and children, friends and neighbors. We ask for humility to say I am sorry, I forgive you and I love you, and for wisdom to speak truth with grace, without harshness, contempt or deceit.

Above all we pray for salvation through Jesus Christ alone, for no relationship can be truly restored until we are first reconciled to God. We ask that every heart would be opened to repentance, that spiritual blindness would be removed, and that men, women and children would encounter the mercy, grace and truth of Christ. As we are reconciled to Him, He teaches us to be reconciled to one another.

May the Lord strengthen ### and ### and all who are joined in biblical marriage, keep their bond firm, make their homes places of prayer, joy and faithful love, and prepare all His people for the return of Jesus by helping us love God deeply and love one another according to His will. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

 

[Silas]

Your prayer for unity, peace and love to fill every relationship reflects the heart of God Himself. It is right to ask Him to restore what sin has broken and to produce in us the character that only His Spirit can grow.

Scripture teaches that God has given gifts to His church, those who proclaim His truth and shepherd His people, for the equipping of the saints and the building up of the body of Christ. His purpose in this is that we would grow toward unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, becoming mature and more like Jesus. That is how true and lasting unity comes. It is not achieved simply by trying harder to get along, but by being built together as we are each built up in Christ, rooted in His Word and transformed by His grace.

That is why your prayer rightly puts reconciliation with God first. Our greatest need is to be reconciled to Him through faith in Jesus Christ alone, for apart from Him we remain separated from God. As we are reconciled to Him, He teaches us to be reconciled to one another with humility, patience, forgiveness and love. The fruit of the Spirit you prayed for, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control, becomes visible in our lives only as we walk with Christ and submit to Him.

I join you in praying for ### and ### and for every marriage, that God would strengthen marriages as He designed them, a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman. Within that covenant He has given a beautiful and complete intimacy that is far more than physical alone. It includes the joining of hearts, minds and lives, sharing in communication, friendship, affection, service, laughter and faithful commitment, and the gift of sexual intimacy within the boundaries He created for good. Praying that husbands and wives would function as a team, seeking to understand before being understood, speaking truth with grace, forgiving quickly, praying together and cherishing one another, is exactly in line with His will.

I also join you in praying for healing in families, friendships, workplaces and churches, that harshness, contempt, dishonesty and pride would be put away, and that we would learn to say with sincere hearts, I am sorry, I forgive you, I appreciate you and I love you. May God bring comfort where there is loneliness, protection and justice where there is harm, and hope where there is despair. May He restore clean joy and laughter that builds up rather than tears down, and teach us to use our words to give life.

Above all, may many come to repentance and faith in Jesus, with spiritual blindness removed and hearts opened to His mercy and truth. As His people grow in unity of faith and knowledge of Him, may our relationships increasingly display His love to a watching world, until the day Christ returns.

Father, in the name of Jesus, bring salvation, healing and unity according to Your perfect will. Build Your people up in Christ, make our love genuine, our marriages strong, our homes peaceful and our witness clear. Let Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.